Mitchell Starc has been expensive on all fronts on his return to the Indian Premier League after eight years. The left-arm pacer from Australia, who set an all-time auction record when Kolkata Knight Riders acquired him for Rs 24.75 crore for the 2024 edition, has conceded 100 runs in eight overs without taking a wicket. At this rate, every legal delivery by Starc is worth approximately Rs 6 lakh in the ongoing season.
Mitchell Starc's dwindling numbers in T20
The failure of the Aussie great in the first two IPL matches isn't surprising. Starc was dropped in the middle of the T20 World Cup in 2022 at home for not being effective enough. At one stage, he was going at 9.62 at the death overs. Australia had preferred Kane Richardson over Starc.
The 34-year-old played only two T20Is since that World Cup. It is unreal to expect Starc to sweep every batter after this career gap in the format. The engine may need time to operate at full throttle.
After the matches against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore, Starc's IPL economy reads 12.50. He has also stepped into the top-five list of bowlers who have leaked over 50 runs in an innings. The two-time ODI World Cup winner had figures of 0/53 against SRH.
KKR pace bowler Mitchell Starc: Expectation versus reality
Starc brings in the X-factor with his height (he's 6 feet 6 inches tall), left-arm angle, pace and swing. Any franchise will expect fireworks from a bowler who has been exceptional in ODI and Test cricket, but T20 cricket has never been his forte. He has appeared in only 60 T20I matches for Australia since his debut in 2012.
Over the years, Starc has preferred ODIs and Tests to T20Is to manage his workload better. Injuries postponed his return to the IPL. He had attracted a bid of Rs 9.4 crore from KKR in 2018 before injuring his leg.
Starc is not one of those globetrotters. He has not played in other franchise leagues except IPL and a few Big Bash League matches. The lack of matches restricted his skills against 360-degree batters who play fearless cricket in these leagues. Plus, his clean action perhaps negates the pace factor to a certain extent. All the batters need to do is watch the ball and time it to perfection, which is what Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik, and Heinrich Klaasen did.
What Starc needs to do now is study the batting style of all the batters he will bowl to, and expect assistance from the pitches. If he could return 16 wickets in the ODI World Cup in India last year in 10 matches, one may expect him to strike form in the IPL at some point in the tournament.
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